weatherhead



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I. E. H. WEATHERHBAD.

HYDRAULIC AIR PUMP.

Patented Feb. 20, 1894.

up m" INVEIMTOR GMMMM( YWVM-NESS ma NATIQNAL urnoanAPHma cnMPANY,

ETENT EETCE.

EDVARD H. WEATHERHEAD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLEVELANDFAUCET COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

HYDRAULIC AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,183, dated February20, 1894.

Application iiled January 31, 1893. Serial No. 460,2'46. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H WEATHEE- HEAD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and Stat-e ofOhio, have invented certain new pump, showing the valve closed and thepluncylinder.

ger piston down. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section corresponding toFig. 1, with the valve ope'n and the plunger piston in the top of theFig. 3 is a vertical central section of the top of the cylinder taken atright angles to Figs. 1 and 2. This figure is designed simply toillustrate a form of valve mechanism for the inlet and outlet of air,but it is not claimed that there is any special novelty in thisconstruction, and the said mechanism might be changed without affectingkvmy invention. Figs. 4 and 5 likewise are vertical central sectionalviews of my improved pump,

corresponding to the views shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but having a floatfor operating the valve instead of a plunger or weighted piston, as inFigs. 1 and 2.

In both forms of pump here shown all the elements are the same exceptthe piston or oat. Thus we have the base A in the several views and thecylinderB fixed upon said base. The construction of this base is not amaterial point except as it comprises the following features: a throughpassage for the pressure fluid consisting of what has the appearancehere of a pipe or tubular section 2, which has its mouth, in thisinstance, about upon a vertical central sectional line within the saidbase, and constructed to form a valve seat 3, and a discharge 4 outsidesaid base or 5o casing. The said pipe or tube section 2 is shown here asformed integral with the base, butit might be formed separatelyandscrewed into the base.

The water inlet consists in a short pipe section or coupling 5, providedwith a contracted inlet opening which operates on the principle of anejector as it discharges the water through this comparatively smallorifice into the pump, or through the intervening space i-nto the outletpassage from the pump. The part 5 itself is here shown as having a oontracted opening 6, but a separate nozzle with a small orifice orpassage might be attached to said part and serve the same purpose. Thispipe 5 is screwed into the base and is threaded for the attachment ofthe supply pipe connections.

The base or casingAof the pump is closed about its bottom and sidesexcept the inlets and outlets for the water just described, and it willbe noticed that the direction of the inlet and outlet is the same, andthat it is straightthrough thebase of the pump froni side to side. Itwill also be noticed that there is a space interveningbetween the nozzleor discharge 6 of the inlet and the valve seat 3 of the outlet 2, andthe valve 7 is so arranged as to swing in this space and occupy the seat3 when the pump is filling, and to swing away therefrom and open thedischarge pipe when the pump is discharging, as will now appear. "Thus,l have provided a pivot S in said base upon which is a crank arm 9supported at one end upon said pivot and having the valve 7 rigid withthe other end. At the angle of this arm I connect the valve operatingrod 10. Likewise integral or rigid with the said angle arm is acounterweight 1l.

Now, in the operations of the pump, it is designed thatthe valve 7 shallbe automatically opened and closed and that the pump itself will effectthis result by reason of the water pressure and without any personalattention.

Hence, I have arranged within the said cylinderB a plunger or piston C,suitably packed to prevent the escape of water about its sides into thechamber behind or above the piston, and designed to respond to the Waterpressure which enters beneath the same and to ICO rise under saidpressure and expel the air which has been admitted into the upper'end ofcylinder B through the valve passage in the top of the said cylinder B,as is wellknown in this art.

Connected with the `piston C, Figs. 1 and 2, is a pipe section or tubeD, fixed to said piston and extending upward from the same and closed sothat the water will not pass through it. The valve operating rod has itsupper end extending into the said pipe or tube, and has a limitedmovement therein. Thus, referring to Fig. l we see the piston C down toits lowest position. When in this position the Water has been dischargedfrom the pump and the pump is ready to be again filled. Hence, the valve7 is seated and the transverse Water passage through the pump is closed.The water which now enters through the inlet opening 6 is confined inthe pump and necessarily fills the same. In response to this filling andpressure they piston 'C will rise until the Weighted portion thereofhaving its upper extremity at c rises to the top of the cylinder B inposition yas seen in Fig. '2. v

It will be ,noticed that there is a coiled spring 12 about the upper endof the operating rod 10 within the tube D, and this spring ordinarily isdistended as shown, for example, in Fig. 1. When the piston C rises inthe cylinder to a sufficient elevation, it compresses this spring untilall the spring practically is taken up, when the compression of thespr-ing ceases and the valve 7 is forced to respond to the further pullof the rod 10. It will be understood that when the valve 7 is seatedthere is a constant pressure against it 'from the inlet and the, waterabove, so that it would remain upon `its seat if not forcibly withdrawntherefrom. The spring 12, therefore, undergoes full compression beforethe valve 7 is acted upon'bythe rod 10, and when the ysaid valve israised from its seat by the pull of the piston, the spring likewiseexerts an upward pull and assists in a speedy and wide opening of thesaid valve, so that there can at once occur a free and full discharge ofthe water in the pump. In Fig. 2 the valve 7 is shown as open. In thisposition the counterweight 11 co-operates with the said spring and itserves to keep the valve 7 raised, as seen in Fig. 2, until it is forceddown by the piston C.

It will be noticed that there is a head 14 on the rod 10, and when thevalve 7 is open this head is some distance above the piston rest or stop15. Hence, when the said piston descends as the water is discharged fromthe pump, it engages the head 14 or its equivalent and bears the saidrod down until it reaches its seat, or until the valve is pressed to itsseat. This accomplished, the discharge is again closed. Then refillingofthe pump occurs as' before described, and the piston C is made torespond to the upward pressure until it again reaches the upper limit ofits stroke,

as seen in Fig. 2. The counterweight 11 holds the valve 7 and the rody10 in the position seen in Fig. 2 until the superior weight and downwardpressure of the piston C overcomes this balance and the valve 7 isclosed. lt will also be noticed that there is a constant iiuid pressure`in the base A, the inlet being Without a valve or means tov close it,While the discharge passage alone is provided with a valve or closingmechanism.l Hence, there is a volume of water issuing through the jetopening 6 at the time the pump is discharging, and this promotes a rapiddischarge of the water from the pump, which is so desirable.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that there is a valve 17 in theupper extremity of the air and water chamber B having an arm or stem 18fixed thereon, and hung on a pivot 19 in the angle of said valve .andarm. It will also be seen that there is a passage way in the form of `atube or pipe 20iextending down upon Vthe outside of the cylinder B fromthe top thereof tothedisc-harge 4. This opening into the top of cylinderB serves two purposes. First, to discharge any water that may creep intothe cylinder above the piston C, so as to keep the said cylinder clearof` water above the piston, and .to relieve the back pressure of the airabo-ve `or behind the said piston C when .the upward stroke of thesaidpiston is about complete, so that there may be a stronger and quickerpull exerted by the piston on the vvalve 7 `to kopen the same..

This gives an instant lift tothe said valve 7 when most needed and opensa lfull and free ou tow through the exhaust pipe. vThespring 12 acts asan auxiliaryto thisopening of said Valve, as hereinbefore described, and4the said valve is thus drawn outof the way of the exhaust.

While I have herein show n, described and claimed the pump ashaving adischargeopening or outlet at the top and areturn pipe connecting thesame with the main discharge, still I wish to be understood as notlimiting my invention to that or any other form or arrangement of suchtop outlet, excepting in so far as the same is hereinafter.specificallyloperation is substantially the same in bothforms of pump. In Figs. 1 and2 the piston is shown as having a weight fixed to the back thereof sothat the Weight will vhelp to force a speedy discharge of the pump andthereby facilitate the operations of the pump.

Inasmuch as the piston or plunger and the float in my invention bothserve the same IOO IIO

general purpose, namely, to operate the valve mechanism, I mean toinclude either device in the claims which recite a piston or plunger.

The Water inlet passage 6 is described as contracted or reduced in size.As a basis of comparison and to determine what the size of the passageor opening for the water inlet should be, it may be said that it shouldalways be relatively smaller than the discharge passage, and remainconstantly open and without valve or other obstruction. The largeroutlet is required or the pump could not empty while the inlet is whollyopen,and the force of the jet of water assists in the discharge from thepump, serving in a measure to forcibly eject the Water therefrom andcausing the water to get out of the pump much sooner than it would byits own gravity. Of course this necessitates that the jet be directlyopposite the discharge opening so that the rush of water through the jetwill tix the rate of discharge, and carry the dead water outof the pumpat this rate rather than leaving it to run out in its own Way. Thisenables the pump to recover itself quickly, which is a most desirableresult. Again, this form of pump is admirably adapted to muddy water, asits construction and method of discharge are especially calculated tokeep the pump free from mud or other sedimentary deposits.

The counterbalance for the valve may be a spring or weight-,orequivalent means.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. Ahydraulic airpump havinga movable air-compressing medium subject to the action ofwater-pressure beneath it, combined with a valveless water inlet, awater outlet arranged in line with the Water inlet and eX- posed to theincoming water through such inlet, a valve for such outlet, and`operating devices for such valve controlled by the movements of the aircompressing medium, substantially as described.

2. Ahydraulic air pump havinga movable air-compressin g medium subjectto the action of waterpressure beneath it, combined with a valvelesswater inlet, a water outlet arranged in the pump in line with anddirectly opposite the discharge end of such inlet to receive more orless of its stream, a valve for such outlet, and operating devices forsuch valve controlled by the movements of the aircompressing medium,substantially as described.

3. A hydraulic air pump having a movable air-compressing medium subjectto the action of water-pressure beneath it, combined with an always openwater inlet which is designed to deliver a continuous and uninterruptedstream of water to the pump, a Water outlet arranged, in the pump inline with and directly opposite the discharge end of such inlet toreceive more or less of its stream, a valve for'such outlet, andoperating devices of the air-compressing medium, substantially asdescribed.

4. A hydraulic air pump having a movable air-compressing medium subjectto the action of water-pressure behind it, combined with a valvelesswater-inlet, a water-outlet arranged in line with the water-inlet andexposed to the incoming water through such. inlet, a valve for suchoutlet normally seated to close the same, and a valve-actuating rodconnected with the air-compressing medium, substantially as described.

5. In a hydraulic air pump, the base having an ejector-like inlet, adischarge opening arranged opposite said inlet and sufliciently closethereto to receive more or less of its incoming stream, a valve for suchopening, and a counterbalance to hold said valve open, substantially asdescribed. l

6. The pump herein described having a water and air cylinder with a maindischarge, an outlet at the top of such cylinder connected with the maindischarge for the escape of leakage, a valve for said outlet, aprojection from such valve extending into the cylinder in the path ofmovement of the piston or plunger whereby the valve may be opened, andsuch piston or plunger, substantially as described.4

7. A hydraulic air pump having air inlet and outlet passages, a .waterinlet provided with a contracted delivery end and constantly open, awater outlet arranged opposite the water inlet and exposed to itsstream, a valve for such water outlet normally closing the same, apiston or plunger, and connections gbetween the latter and the valve toopen such valve, substantially as described.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification.

EDWARD I'l. WEATHERHEAD.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, GEORGIA SCHAEFFER.

for such valve controlled by the movements I IOO

